The US state department confirmed this week that the Taliban is currently holding three US citizens in their custody. The Taliban, according to the US state department, which was answering a query by Washington Examiner, are currently holding George Glezmann, Mahmood Habibi and Ryan Corbett in their custody.
It is worth mentioning that Afghanistan’s acting president-in-exile Amrullah Saleh told News18 in an exclusive interview last year that the US came to know that Ayman al-Zawahiri was living in Kabul in an area which was home to foreign embassies and diplomats under the previous administration through Habibi.
Who Betrayed Ayman al-Zawahiri? Afghanistan’s Acting Prez-in-Exile Amrullah Saleh Has A Theory | Exclusive
Saleh told News18 that Habibi is a US passport holder of Afghan origin and owned a Kabul-based telecommunication company.
The company’s office, according to Saleh, was in al-Zawahiri’s neighbourhood.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in a drone operation in 2022 killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al Qaeda chief who took over the lead role following the killing of the former chief of the terrorist group – Osama Bin Laden.
The Taliban have “refused to acknowledge” that they are holding Habibi captive. He was detained on August 10 along with 29 other employees of ARX Communications. They believe that Habibi’s company was involved in the targeting of former al Qaeda senior leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Zawahiri, according to security experts, along with Osama played an operational role in the September 11, 2001 attacks which led to the deaths of at least 2,977 people. 19 al-Qaeda terrorists also died in the attack.
Who betrayed Al-Zawahiri ?The intelligence unit of @AGTAfghanistan had some of the details of the multi-dimenssional story of Al-Zawahiri and his killing by US hellfire strike. I had disclosed the stroy and the identity of Mahbob Habibi almost a year ago as we knew it right…— Amrullah Saleh (@AmrullahSaleh2) July 13, 2024
“The US went around the Taliban and found his location through Habibi, a US passport holder of Afghan origin, who owned a Kabul-based telecommunication company in al-Zawahiri’s neighbourhood,” Saleh had said last year while speaking to News18.
The Taliban officials have repeatedly claimed that they have only detained two Americans in their custody.
They said earlier this month that two American prisoners were being held in custody in Afghanistan when they discussed an “exchange” for Afghans held in Guantanamo Bay with the United States. Zabihullah Mujahid did not name the US prisoners but said discussions over a prisoner exchange were held with US representatives during United Nations-led talks in Qatar.
“We should be able to free our citizens in (an) exchange, as American citizens are important for them (the United States), just as Afghans are important for us,” Mujahid told a press conference in Kabul.
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